The Vortex
by Darkwatch
Summary: A planetary alignment on a certain night has been focused on one location, creating a place where the energy is so great that it has the ability to distort reality--and the Beast Warriors are trapped inside it for one hellish night. Third in a series.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: This is a work-in-progress, so by the time it's finished some things may change. This is the first time I've ever posted an unfinished fic, but I promise it will be finished in due time. I'm still alive and still writing! Thanks to Liz for her help._

Megatron studied the monitor, his optics focused on a blinking light on the three-dimensional map. He had been keeping an eye on that location since discovering it over a week ago. It was fascinating alone in that it held both natural gravitational and magnetic anomalies, but its energy levels also indicated the presence of energon. However, because of the anomalies he had held off on ordering a mining station built there. It was impossible to tell whether the energon was raw or stable, and he had wished to study it further.

But in the last couple of days, the site had really caught his attention. For the energy there had begun to build to levels signifying an incredible power source. Unfortunately, he could not pinpoint its exact location—the power seemed to be diffused throughout the cave network.

"Computer, describe nature of energy buildup. Is it alien?"

_"Negative. Energy buildup is natural, focused by presence of energon and negative gravitational and magnetic anomalies."_

Megatron growled slightly. That was of little help. "Computer, projection: When will buildup reach its peak?"

_"Approximately twenty megacycles."_

"Tonight," Megatron mused. "Now what could be causing this? Solar cycles? Phases of the moon?" He pulled up a map of the solar system and his eyes widened. "Well, well, how very interesting…"

*

"This is interesting," Rhinox said.

Optimus looked over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Well, for one thing, you might want to set up your telescope for tonight. We're going to witness a planetary alignment."

"Really? Should be good for a look, then. Which ones?"

"All of them. All nine planets of this system will be in a perfectly straight line."

Optimus raised his eyebrows. "Well, that doesn't happen all too often. We should consider ourselves lucky that we'll get to see it."

"That's not the most interesting part," Rhinox added. "I calculated the coordinates of the locations exactly in line with the planets. One is completely normal, but the other—it seems that there's been a buildup of energy there lately. It's been increasing exponentially as we approach alignment." He brought up a map of the area to show Optimus.

Optimus leaned in closer. "That can't only be caused by the planetary alignment, can it? I thought that the idea that alignment could generate energies on a planet was just a myth."

"There are other factors involved there," Rhinox told him. "Things like gravitational and magnetic anomalies, and possibly the presence of energon."

Optimus stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm…well, keep an eye on it. It's far enough from here that it shouldn't cause us any trouble, but I think we should go have a look at it once the others wake up."

"Maybe you'd better get them up sooner," Rhinox said. "We have Pred movement."

"Where?"

"Just passing by the very edge of our sensor array at the limit of our territory in Sector fourteen." Rhinox's tone changed. "Optimus—I think they're heading in the direction of the energy buildup."

Optimus sighed. "Megatron never misses a thing. How long?"

"At this rate they should reach it in about three megacycles. You'd better hurry if you're going to catch up. It will be almost dark by the time you reach the place."

Optimus opened his comlink. "Rise and shine, Maximals. We've got places to be."

In a few minutes the Maximals had assembled on the bridge. Rattrap was the last to arrive, yawning sleepily. "This better be good," he muttered.

"All right, everyone, the Predacons are headed towards a location that has been building in power over the last few days," Optimus told them. "Whatever that power is, we have to make sure they don't secure it."

"I-is it alien?" Cheetor asked, thinking of Airazor and Tigatron.

"No. Strange as this may sound to us now, it's natural," Optimus replied. "But we need to get moving. Cheetor, Rattrap, Silverbolt, you're with me."

Dinobot noticeably shifted. 

Rattrap smirked at him. "Ah, don't worry, Chopper-face. You can stay home and work on your knittin' or somethin'."

Cheetor snickered at that, and Dinobot growled towards them both before facing Optimus again with a questioning look.

"We're taking to the air." Optimus told him, ignoring Rattrap's loud groan. "Dinobot, you follow on the ground, but hang back. With all that energy, it may not be safe for non-Transmetals." He transformed to his flying mode. "Rhinox, you keep an eye on things and inform us if there's any change. Let's move, people! The Predacons already have a head start!"

*

Silence.

No animals moved, no birds chirped. Not a single plant grew; the ground was dead and barren in a perfect circle around the area of the caves. Beyond that, the tree line of the surrounding forest was abrupt and perfect. It was as if all life knew better than to come anywhere near this vast network of caves. And for good reason.

On any ordinary night, the atmosphere of this area would have made any passing animal feel the need to run. But tonight was no ordinary night. The power was building, and the world knew it. Had anyone been there to see it, they might have been fascinated by the reaction of the small plants on the very edge of the forest. Those that could had bent their leaves away from the direction of the caves. Those that could not were rapidly dying.

Time and space were conspiring, and all natural life on the world understood the message: _Stay away tonight._

*

Megatron landed and transformed. Beside him, Quickstrike jumped down off of Inferno's back and Waspinator set Blackarachnia down.

Blackarachnia fiddled with her scanner. "The measurements are almost going off the scale," she commented.

Megatron smiled. "As predicted. And the power source will soon be within my grasp."

"Look at this place," Blackarachnia continued. "Have you noticed how nothing is growing within a perfect circle around these caves?" She walked over to the edge of the forest and poked at one of the dying plants on its fringe. "I know we usually only find energon in wastelands, but this is unusual."

Quickstrike peered into the cave and shuddered. "I dunno about this, Boss..."

"Not a word!" Inferno said harshly. "We will follow the Royalty anywhere!"

"Not this time, my dear Inferno," Megatron looked at Blackarachnia's readings. "I am expecting a substantial amount of raw energon inside the caves."

"It would only take a few moments for our robot forms to overload," Blackarachnia finished.

Megatron nodded. "However, I believe that Transmetals may have a much better chance. Therefore, Quickstrike and Rampage will follow me..." He trailed off and looked around, but Rampage was nowhere in sight. Sighing, Megatron pulled the Spark Box out of his compartment. "Rampage!" he called. "Do not try to hide from me!" He put the slightest bit of pressure on the Box.

A rumbling sound heralded Rampage's arrival through the forest. In tank mode, he bulldozed any trees that were in his way and crushed the last bit of life from the dying plants before coming to an abrupt halt just outside the tree line. The giant Predacon transformed and glowered down at Megatron with a growl.

"Ah, there you are." Megatron smiled condescendingly, then turned back to the others. "Now, as I was saying: Quickstrike and Rampage will follow me into the caves to locate and claim the power source. Inferno, Blackarachnia and Waspinator, you will remain outside to guard the entrance. I expect that the Maximals will have made the same calculations about this site."

"Aw, Boss, lemme stay out here!" Quickstrike groaned. "I'd rather get the chance to wail on some Maximal kiester than—"

"Enough!" Megatron interrupted. "The Maximals will undoubtedly be here soon. Get moving!" He ignored Quickstrike's grumblings and turned to Rampage. Surprisingly, the crab-bot was simply standing there, staring at the cave entrance in silence. There was an expression on his face that Megatron could not quite decipher.

"Rampage!" Megatron commanded. "You will follow us in. Do not do anything you will regret." He waved the Spark Box.

Rampage narrowed his eyes at the Predacon leader, but said nothing.

Megatron turned on his heel and started into the cave, ushering Quickstrike in front of him. For a moment Rampage lingered behind, gazing after them. Then, as if waking from a dream, he shook his head slightly and followed them in.

The remaining three Predacons found themselves alone and in utter, eerie silence.  They were tense, but not because of the impending arrival of the Maximals. 

Blackarachnia felt a twinge. "We'd better go to beast mode. The energy coming from that cave is enough to affect our circuits already." She transformed and the others followed suit.

"Waspinator not like this place." Waspinator's voice shook a little as his wings buzzed nervously.

Blackarachnia shifted her position as if trying to shrug the feeling off. "For once, Bug-Boy, I have to agree."

*

Cheetor flew up beside Optimus. "So what's the deal with this place, Big-Bot? Is there a lot of energon there?"

"There might be," Optimus replied, changing his position slightly to compensate as Rattrap shifted on the back of his jetboard. "Rhinox said that the readings could indicate that. But there are also the factors of the anomalies and even the planetary alignment. We don't know what to expect there."

"Besides Predacon presence," Silverbolt added. 

"That's the only thing we know for sure. Megatron will have beaten us there." Optimus checked the coordinates, squinting to see them in the fading light of dusk. "We're coming up on it now. Prepare for a Predacon welcoming party."

All the Maximals were suddenly forced to swerve and dodge through the air as the barrage began from the ground below. Rattrap held onto the jetboard for dear life. "Ya know, a _little _more warning woulda been nice."

"I am reading three Predacon signatures below," Silverbolt called out as he avoided a laser burst. "Inferno, Blackarachnia and Waspinator."

"The non-Transmetal Predacons—I figured as much. Let's take them out!" Optimus ordered. He swooped straight down towards the ground, dropping Rattrap into the forest before landing and transforming.

Cheetor and Silverbolt were about to do the same when Inferno suddenly burst from his cover and rocketed towards them with a wild yell.

"The Royalty claims these caves!" Inferno shouted as he fired at the airborne Maximals.

On the ground, Optimus and Rattrap used trees and boulders for cover as they exchanged weapons fire with Blackarachnia and Waspinator.

"This is wasting time!" Optimus said to Rattrap as he was forced to duck behind a tree. "Megatron is already inside. We have to get in there!"

"Tell me about it," Rattrap groaned. "Well, I'd blast 'em out, but somethin' tells me that wouldn't be such a great idea in a place like this."

"I know," Optimus replied. "Even ordinary weapons fire is dangerous around here. Thankfully the Predacons aren't near the cave entrance—they're just cutting _us off from it."_

Above them, Cheetor and Silverbolt were trying to take Inferno down, but the crazed Predacon made himself a difficult target as he flew erratically, firing both laser bursts and flame.

"Yow!" Cheetor cried as he felt a flame singe his tail. He couldn't help slowing a little.

Inferno laughed as he set the Maximal in his sights, but suddenly stopped dead as blue energy began to shimmer over his body. "What? So soon?" Inferno growled as he fought to keep himself stable enough to take the shot. But the brief respite was all that was needed for Silverbolt to dive and slam into him from above. His propeller damaged from the blow and the energon buildup, Inferno spun out of control towards the ground on the other side of the forest.

The sound of the impact made both Cheetor and Silverbolt cringe. They grinned at each other before swooping down to join the others on the ground.

"Took ya long enough," Rattrap said as he took aim, finally catching Waspinator in his sights as energon buildup froze the Predacon outside his cover. The blast hit him squarely in the chest, and with a whimper Waspinator went flying nearly out of sight.

The battle stopped completely, and the Maximals abandoned their cover and carefully made their way towards the cave. Optimus aimed his gun at a nearby boulder. "You've lost, Blackarachnia," he called. "Now why don't you come out where we can see you?"

With a sigh, Blackarachnia stepped out and dropped her weapon. All the Maximals had their weapons trained on her, yet her cool demeanour did not waver.

Optimus noticed that she had not yet suffered energon buildup. "You didn't contribute as much to the battle as the others. Been biding your time in beast mode?"

She laughed. "Unlike those idiots. Any fool can see that the energy fields here are too strong to stay in robot mode for that long at once."

"What is this place?" Optimus asked.

"Find out yourself," she retorted. "I don't get paid enough to stick around places like this." She transformed and scuttled away, narrowly avoiding Dinobot as he arrived.

Dinobot growled after her and transformed, ready to follow.

"Let her go, Dinobot," Optimus told him. "And go back to beast mode. The energy fields are growing with each passing moment. It's too dangerous for a non-Transmetal."

Dinobot grudgingly returned to beast mode. "So what would you have me do?"

"I want you to stay out here and guard the entrance while we're inside. Keep taking readings and try to stay in contact with both us and Rhinox. We don't want to be completely cut off in there if we can help it." Optimus handed his scanner to Dinobot.

The other three Maximals were staring at the cave entrance. Cheetor shuddered. "Do you ever get the feeling that you're totally not wanted?"

"I'm certain Rattrap is used to the feeling," Dinobot said sarcastically.

They all turned to Rattrap, expecting a snappy comeback. However, Rattrap said nothing. He didn't even appear to have heard them as he gazed into the cave, his expression troubled.

"Uh, Rattrap? Hello?" Cheetor waved a hand in front of Rattrap's face.

Rattrap blinked, then scowled as he pushed Cheetor's hand away. "Yeah, yeah." He turned away from the others and went up to Optimus. "Do you really think we should go in there?" He kept his voice low.

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked. "What's wrong?"

Rattrap paused. "It's just...uh, it's nothin', I guess. I just don't like the feel of this place is all."

Optimus stared at him for a moment as if waiting for an elaboration, but none was provided. "Well, we have no choice. Megatron is already in there, and we have to stop him from getting his hands on the source of this energy."

Rattrap sighed, but didn't protest further. He was obviously not going to explain what was going on inside him.

"All right, people, let's move!" Optimus ordered.

The four Maximals entered the cave, leaving Dinobot alone outside in the darkness with only his scanner and the utter silence. 

*

The cave network was bigger than Megatron had anticipated. He, Quickstrike and Rampage had been walking for nearly half a megacycle and yet found themselves no closer to claiming the prize...and with no idea where they were.

Quickstrike slowed his pace. "How much further, Boss?"

Megatron nudged him forward. "Just keep moving." Behind him, Rampage chuckled. Megatron growled to himself, rapidly losing patience with this mission. No matter how many large chambers and narrow corridors they had passed through, there had been no change in either the scenery or the energy readings. Megatron had finally stopped bothering to attempt measurements—the levels either skipped around wildly or went off the scale. And it seemed that each corridor, its stone walls glowing dimly from the blue light of thin energon veins, led them to the same cavern. 

"We're walking in circles," Rampage sneered, clearly enjoying Megatron's frustration.

Megatron turned to glare at him. "Impossible. Each chamber has had only one entrance and one exit, and we have been following only one direction. These caves are extensive, but eventually we must reach the energy source."

Rampage laughed. "You'll never get to it."

"I grow tired of your attitude, Rampage," Megatron growled. He pulled out the Spark Box and squeezed it. 

As he did so, it seemed that the cave came to life. Energy flickered between the walls of the corridor, the Box and Rampage himself. Instead of writhing in agony, Rampage simply stared at the energy, bewildered.

Equally amazed, Megatron released the pressure on the Spark Box. The energy disappeared abruptly.

Utter silence reigned for a few moments, then suddenly Rampage laughed. He turned, placed both hands against the wall—and passed right through it.

"What?!" Megatron's jaw dropped in disbelief. Immediately he placed his own hands on the wall through which Rampage had just disappeared, but it was solid rock. He felt all around the area, but the stone remained unchanged. "How?!" Megatron roared in frustration.

Quickstrike cowered behind him. "M-maybe we should get outta here, Boss."

"No!" Megatron raged. He shoved Quickstrike forward. "Keep moving! This place and all its power _will_ be mine! And when we find Rampage, he is going to be _very_ sorry indeed."

*

Dinobot paced outside the cave. He attempted to take another energy reading and snarled in disgust. The readings were almost nonsensical. At the very least, his scanner did not have the capacity to measure energy of this magnitude. Already tiring of this guard duty, he set the scanner on a nearby rock and decided to widen his pacing into a small patrol.

He began along the edge of the forest, noting the perfection of the circle of barren ground around the cave. The sudden cracking sound of dry wood caused Dinobot to look up, and he sidestepped just in time to avoid being struck by a falling dead branch. There had not been trees on the very edge when he had first arrived there, and Dinobot realized how rapidly the forest was retreating. He picked one weed flower, holding it as gently as his claws would allow, but it crumbled to dust in his hand and he gave a grunt of surprise at its accelerated state of decay. As a test he entered the forest and plucked a healthy weed, bringing it back into the barren circle. Once it crossed that invisible line, the plant began to die. Dinobot watched as it drooped, then wilted and turned brown. In only a few seconds the dust had slipped through his fingers.

A loud bang sounded behind him, and in an instant he was in robot mode and ready for battle, silently cursing himself for not being completely on guard. But there were no enemies to be seen. Instead, tiny flames were burning themselves out on a wrecked piece of metal and wiring that lay on the ground. The scanner had overloaded.

The scanner had obviously not been the most advanced piece of equipment that they had had, but the strange reaction of the vegetation was cause enough for concern. Dinobot activated his comlink. "Optimus, do you read?" He was met with only static. Switching channels, he tried to contact the others, but the transmission would not get through. Dinobot growled to himself. Optimus had not wanted to lose contact while he and the others were inside, and now after only a few cycles the comlinks were useless. Dinobot stared into the cave, pondering going after them. 

Another cracking sound came from behind him, and he turned to see a tree plunge to the ground. It was the same tree whose branch had nearly struck him only a few cycles ago. Then the tree had still been covered in leaves. Now it was nothing more than a grey trunk. When it had fallen it had not merely broken off at a stump, but had pulled out of the ground completely, dead roots and all. 

Energy flickered over him and Dinobot realized that he could not stay in robot mode any longer. He reverted to beast mode, listening to the dry snapping of branches from other trees as the circle of dead soil expanded. Again he thought about entering the caves, worry pulling at the back of his mind. If things were this bad out here, what would the others be encountering on the inside? Warrior instincts battled against the orders that he had been given, but he knew that he would not be able to use his robot mode at all inside the cave if the energy fields were this strong.

His comlink suddenly crackled to life, and Dinobot attempted to respond through the interference. "Optimus? Are you there?" He tapped his comlink again, but the transmission had been lost. Silence fell over the area once more. His frustration plain, Dinobot impatiently remained at his post.

*

Rhinox slowly shook his head as he watched his monitors. This was not good—the energy levels at the caves were climbing too high too fast. The increases seemed to come in leaps and bounds as the changes occurred faster than the scanner sweeps could pick them up. Rhinox worried about the possible dangers. If it were only energon causing this, then the effects would be easy enough to figure. But add in all the other factors, and there were too many variables that could compound each other and change the outcome completely.

Rhinox changed his viewscreen to show his orbital calculations and transferred the data into the form of an image of the planetary orbits. The planets would be perfectly in line in just under three megacycles. Rhinox sat back a moment to ponder the effects that an alignment might have. As Optimus had said, there were myths surrounding that sort of thing, but none had ever been shown to have any truth. Still, it could not be a coincidence that the buildup of energy had begun at this time. It seemed that everything that happened on this planet happened for a reason.

Pondering what else might be involved, Rhinox ordered the computer to pull up all the work he had done since discovering that this planet was in fact Earth. The temporal calculations and lunar cycle observations caught his eye. "Maybe there's another cycle involved," he mused. As he scanned those for anything that might stand out, the computer continued searching, cross-referencing through all its databanks. A human calendar from the xenology files popped up in a corner of the screen, barely noticeable under the pile of data windows already open. After a few moments the computer beeped, having matched Rhinox's calculations to the calendar. Rhinox brought up that display to see if anything was noteworthy. Give or take a day or two, this day would come to be known as the last of the tenth month. Rhinox looked at the date and shrugged. Did it matter?

A sudden flash of light filled the room, and a voice interrupted his thoughts. 

_"Rhinox..."_

Rhinox looked up from the console and smiled. "Polaris! It's good to—"

_"Apologies, my friend," _Polaris interrupted, _"but there is no time for pleasantries. Your comrades are about to do something very foolish and dangerous."_

"What do you mean?"

_"They and the enemy Strangers have entered the Vortex. They will become lost, and I cannot reach them to guide them out. You must warn them before they go too deeply into the cave!"_

Judging from the urgency in her voice, Rhinox decided not to waste any time asking questions as he opened the comm. "Optimus, come in!" He was met with nothing but static, and switching channels to contact the others resulted in the same. Rhinox attempted to boost power to the comms, trying to punch through the interference, to no avail. "They're not responding. There's too much interfer—" Rhinox suddenly stopped as the comm picked up a faint transmission.

"Thi—...Dinob—...—ome in." The words were badly broken up by static.

Rhinox rerouted more power to that specific channel and tried to eliminate some of the noise. "Dinobot! This is Rhinox. Can you hear me?"

"Barely. Ener—...fields are increas—..."

The static crackled loudly, and then suddenly decreased substantially. "I have moved away from the cave and into the forest," Dinobot said. "Is the signal clear now?"

"Not completely, but at least I can understand you now," Rhinox replied. "Dinobot, are the others still in sight?"

"Negative. They entered the caves approximately twenty cycles ago, and visual contact was lost immediately."

"Slag, too late," Rhinox muttered. "Have you been in contact with them at all?"

"I attempted contact just before I picked up your transmission, but received only static. I believe that one of them also made an attempt at communication, but the transmission was lost before I could respond. There is far too much interference."  

"We have to find a way to contact them. The caves are too dangerous!" 

"What have you learned of this place?" Dinobot asked. 

"Not much—only that our friends might be in danger. I've just received a warning." 

"From whom?"

Rhinox paused a moment before replying. "Our specter friend, Polaris."

Dinobot growled. "You are communicating with those beings again?" 

"She's just trying to help, Dinobot." Rhinox sighed slightly. "I haven't been able to find out much about this place myself. I've been researching other possible natural patterns that may explain what's happening, but I haven't found a way to calculate what the combined effect of these things might be. I have no idea what the others might be experiencing inside. Is anything happening where you are?"

"The energy fields here are increasing with each passing moment."

"I know. It's because we're drawing closer to perfect planetary alignment." Rhinox paused as he heard a loud cracking sound on Dinobot's end of the transmission, followed by a muted thud. "Was that a tree falling?"

"Affirmative. As the field grows, any vegetation that finds itself inside the boundary dies within moments."

"If the energy fields are causing organics to die..." Rhinox trailed off. "They could be in a lot of trouble in there." He began pulling up all his data. "Keep trying to get through. It's too far away; by the time I get there it might be too late. I'm going to see what I can do from here first. Rhinox out."

Rhinox closed the channel. The date from the human calendar was still on the screen and he glanced at it once more before turning to the shining specter beside him. 

*

"Stay close, people. We don't know what to expect in here." Optimus led the Maximals inside the blue-lit corridors of the cave. 

Cheetor suddenly glanced over at the wall. "Hey, did you see that?"

The other Maximals looked. "What?" Rattrap asked.

"It looked like the wall just kind of…_rippled_ there for a second." Cheetor pointed, but the energon-veined wall looked no different than the rest.

"Don't let your imagination run away with you, Cheetor," Optimus warned. He signaled for them to keep moving.

"Spooky place," Cheetor remarked to Rattrap as they continued on. "It reminds me of this movie I saw once back on Cybertron. Did you ever see it, Rattrap? It was about these four bots who went into this abandoned factory, and there was this freaky power surge that went through every inch of the building, even through the walls. It brought all these shells back to life, and went after each of the bots, and—"

Rattrap held up a hand to stop this line of conversation. "Whoa-kay, I think that's about enough of that, kiddo. We _really _don't need to hear stuff like that in here." 

The four of them walked on mostly in silence, the caverns seeming to swallow even the sound of their footsteps.

"Has anyone noticed that this place produces no echoes?" Silverbolt asked, speaking aloud everyone's thoughts. "Even the grand open caverns that we have walked through are completely silent."

Optimus checked his internal sensor logs. "It's true; even my sensors haven't picked up any sound other than what we produce. No water dripping, no distant echoes, nothing. And I'm getting absolutely zero life readings. There isn't even any mold growing in here."

"Certainly unusual," Silverbolt remarked.

"Perhaps the strangest thing is that I can't find any evidence of water," Optimus' expression was baffled. "These aren't volcanic caves. Normally, caves like this are formed by water erosion, possibly from underground sources. But there is no water here."

"Maybe it just dried up," Cheetor offered.

Optimus shook his head. "No, what I mean is that there _never has been any water here. There's no evidence of it anywhere, except that the cave itself exists."_

There was a moment of silence as that sank in. "Then...what made it?" Silverbolt asked.

"I don't know," Optimus replied. "Perhaps it has something to do with the energon and the magnetism. It should be fascinating to study." He paused. "Unfortunately, we have more pressing matters. And we should check in with Dinobot." Optimus tried his comlink. "Dinobot, can you hear me?"

Static was the only response, and even that lasted only a moment before the transmission died. Optimus could not re-establish the link.

The others exchanged worried glances as they tried their own. All the comlinks were useless.

"Ain't that just 'prime'," Rattrap said sarcastically.

Optimus shot Rattrap a _look_, then sighed. "I was hoping that we'd at least be able to keep in contact with him if he was right outside, but I suppose that was just wishful thinking in a place like this. The energy fields are just too strong."

"And here's something else," Cheetor added. "Is anyone else's internal navigation offline?"

The others checked their own. "It's not offline," Optimus corrected. "It's just getting scrambled, nonsensical readings. Probably because of the magnetic anomalies."

Rattrap groaned. "Great, so we have no idea where we are?"

"Don't make such a big deal of it, RT," Cheetor told him. "We've been walking in a straight line ever since we came in here. There haven't been any forks in the road or anything. One way in, one way out. How hard can it be to just go back the way we came?"

"Famous last words," Rattrap muttered.

"All right, enough chit-chat," Optimus ordered. "Rattrap, let's see if you can get any readings on Predacon energy signatures. They have to be in here somewhere."

*

Megatron and Quickstrike walked on in silence. There had been no further incidents since Rampage's disappearance, but it seemed that the cave had taken on a different feel, as if there was a new intensity in the air. So far they had been unable to locate Rampage or the energy source, and did not appear to be getting any closer to either. Megatron was hesitant to use the Spark Box to try and call Rampage out—what had happened when he had squeezed it had been no natural occurrence. However, he would use it if necessary.

"Boss, I think there's someone up ahead," Quickstrike whispered, his eyes wide.

"Perhaps Rampage somehow got ahead of us," Megatron replied, keeping his voice low. "No matter. I'll see to it that he does not escape me again." Megatron readied his weapon, realizing the danger and hoping that he would not have to fire it. He and Quickstrike peered around the corner. 

"You!" Megatron snarled.

Tarantulas gasped. "M-Megatron!"

Megatron did not lower his weapon. "What are _you _doing here?"

Tarantulas chuckled. "Undoubtedly the same as you. You didn't really think the energy increase coming from this area would escape my attention, did you?"

Megatron narrowed his eyes. "Scurry off, spider. This place is mine."

Again Tarantulas laughed, and there was a mad quality to it beyond what Megatron had come to expect. "You'll never possess it. This place will have you running in circles until you go insane."

"Is that so?"

Tarantulas suddenly stopped laughing and lowered his voice. "I have been in here for nearly two days. There is no power source. Or perhaps this place simply won't let me find it. But it also won't let me leave." Chuckles burst forth once more. "And now you'll be trapped, just like me. How the mighty have fallen."

"I am _never _trapped," Megatron growled.

"Oh, you'll see, you'll see..." Tarantulas trailed off, giggling madly.

*

"What do you know about this place?" Rhinox barely looked up at Polaris' visible form as he went through his calculations again.

_"We do not know much of it. Our kind cannot enter through the energy it produces. And its power is building in such a way that we have never seen before."_

"Because of the planetary alignment," Rhinox said.

_"Yes." _Polaris paused. _"But there is something else."_

"What else?"

_"The power Darkwatch is concerned about is of a different kind. It occurs every full cycle on this night."_

"Darkwatch? What does she have to do with this?" Rhinox's eyebrows lowered as rather unfond memories surfaced inside him.

_"It was she who begged me to warn you about your friends. She fears for the ones she cares for. By her word, she is forbidden any contact with Strangers—but I am bound by no such promise."_

"You came to warn us at her request?"

Polaris nodded. _"I would not have come otherwise. We should not have contact with Strangers, or any mortal for that matter. Besides…**you** were safe here."_

"So you wouldn't have warned us?" Although not surprised by her favouritism towards him, Rhinox couldn't help being a little disappointed by it.

_"What Strangers choose to do is not our concern," _Polaris protested. _"We have all learned the possible consequences of our interference."_

Rhinox decided not to press the matter further. "So what's so special about this particular night?"

_"It is the night when the veil is thinned."_

"The veil?"

_"The veil between the worlds of the living and the dead. It is a very powerful night, and the Vortex will be a center for this. Darkwatch says that the combination is producing a brewing darkness. And that it will be almost…alive."_

Rhinox gasped. "Is there anything you can do?"

_"No, and there will be nothing that you will be able to do either. Should you enter, you will become as lost as your friends."_

"We'll figure out something!"

Polaris shook her head. _"There is nothing to be done against the Vortex."_

*

As the others tried to get a reading, Cheetor peered down the next narrow stone corridor. The light was even brighter down that way than in the previous chambers, and Cheetor found himself walking towards it. The corridor opened up into another large chamber, and Cheetor's eyes filled with wonder as he looked around the room. No wonder the light in here was brighter—it was being reflected off glass that appeared to cover every inch of the walls like a house of mirrors.

Cheetor stared at the myriad of distorted reflections of himself all over the walls. The mirrors were imperfect, many rippled and some fragmented so that the reflections were malformed and disproportional. They seemed to all be watching him, but Cheetor was sure that that was just his imagination. He wandered over to the center of the wall for a closer look. The reflection directly in front of him was almost frightening, its face warped by the ripples in the glass. But when Cheetor looked closer, it seemed that the glass was smooth, and that it was the reflection itself that was wrong. He reached out and placed his hand on the mirror, watching as the reflection's hand did likewise. "Freaky," he muttered, staring at the gnarled hand that seemed so close to touching his own.

Movement caught his eye, and before he turned his head, he saw it—the reflection had turned _its_ head first so that it was now looking straight at him. Wide-eyed, Cheetor stared back, unable to believe what he was seeing as the distorted face of the reflection slowly twisted into an evil smile.

At that moment the reflection's hand suddenly reached out, bending and shifting the glass around it, and seized his own.

Cheetor gasped, trying to wrap his mind around what was happening. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened still more as he stared at the reflection that was pulling his arm…

Pulling him into the mirror!

Cheetor struggled, trying to pry his arm loose as the mirror closed around it. The pull only became stronger, and he saw that more reflections had a hold of him now, each bearing the same look of evil on their disfigured faces. He put his other hand against the mirror, hoping for some leverage, but it too sank in as still more reflections closed in, reaching for him through the glass.

*

Rattrap knocked the scanner with his hand. "Aw, no good," he complained. "There's so much energon interference in here that we can't get any kinda readin'."

Optimus sighed. "Well, so much for—"

"Hey! What th—?" Rattrap suddenly cried. Silverbolt and Optimus turned to see the metal hand-held scanner changing shape in Rattrap's hand. Rattrap gasped as it melted together into a silver gelatinous blob. As the Maximals watched in awe, the blob began to ooze out of Rattrap's hand, slowly stretching out until it reached the floor. The last of it slipped through his fingers and joined the rest as a metallic puddle on the ground.

There was a moment of silence as the three of them simply stared at the blob on the ground, uncomprehending.

Finally Rattrap spoke. "Eh, it ain't 'sposed to do that, is it?"

Optimus and Silverbolt could only shake their heads in amazement.

They all gasped as a scream suddenly ripped through the cavern. A quick glance of apprehension passed between them. The scream was filled with terror—and the most frightening thing about it was that it had been cut abruptly short.

"Cheetor!" Optimus cried. "Slaggit, I told him to stay close!" 

He charged into the next chamber with Rattrap and Silverbolt on his heels. What they saw shocked them to the very core of their Sparks, and they stood dumbfounded, barely able to process the scene before them.

The wall of the chamber was alive with writhing reflections. The grotesque forms crawled and piled on top of each other, all trying to get to the center of the wall. For there in the center stood Cheetor, as dozens of his own malformed reflections grasped and pulled at him in a frenzied attempt to make him as they were, to join him with them. The young bot was inside the glass, his face rigid in a horrified silent scream as he struggled to free himself.

"Dear Primus," Optimus whispered, finally finding his voice. "Cheetor!"

"What's happening?" Silverbolt cried.

Rattrap ran to the glass, frantically searching for a tear, a hole, anything to explain how Cheetor could have ended up inside the mirror. "There's nothin'! No way in! It's impossible!" He pounded on the glass with his fist. "Kiddo! Can ya hear me?"

Cheetor managed to jerk one hand loose and strike the glass once, but his features contorted with pain as the clutching hands seized his arm once more, twisting and stretching it. Still, he looked directly at Rattrap, his mouth forming the words _help me…_

"Just hang on, kiddo, I'll get ya outta there!" Rattrap drew his gun.

"Rattrap, what are you doing?" Optimus stopped him. "We don't know what that's going to do! You could kill him, and blow this whole place sky-high!"

Silverbolt suddenly gave a cry and quickly backed into the center of the room, away from a pair of reaching hands of his own reflection. Optimus and Rattrap gasped as they saw their own many images warping the glass of the mirrors as they too stretched out their hands.

"Well, we gotta do somethin'!" Rattrap holstered his gun, then in a rush of inspiration grabbed one of the maces off Optimus' back. "Hope this works," he muttered as he hurled the mace against the glass with all his might.

All the mirrors in the room shattered, accompanied by a horrible shrieking sound as the many reflections went to pieces. The Maximals shielded themselves as glass splinters rained down on them. When they looked up, they saw Cheetor stagger for a moment and then crumple to the floor.

"Cheetor!" Optimus ran to him. He turned Cheetor over and gasped. One of the young Maximal's arms had nearly been pulled from his socket, and some pieces of his superstructure 

had been torn off. There were scratches all over him from the clawing hands. Cheetor's eyes were open, but glazed, and he stared straight ahead.

Silverbolt knelt beside him. "Cheetor, can you hear me? Are you all right?"

"No…impossible…not real…" Cheetor murmured, his optics still unfocused.

"He's in shock," Optimus said. "We need to get him out of here."

"What about the Preds?"

"We'll have to come back for them. This place is too dangerous—we have to get Cheetor to safety while we still can, and then return with reinforcements."

"But—what _is _this place?" Silverbolt asked. "What just happened? And how is it even possible?"

"We can't think about that now. Let's just focus on getting out. Silverbolt, you carry Cheetor. I'll take point. Rattrap, you watch our backs. We'll try and go back the way we came."

"Great," Rattrap muttered. This place really had him on edge. _Darkness, nothing but darkness, the voice inside him said. __Get out while you still can. Rattrap didn't like that voice, knowing that it was a remnant of his possession, but for once he couldn't agree more._

The Maximals attempted to navigate the tunnels in the direction from which they had come, but soon found themselves lost.

"This is all wrong!" Silverbolt said. "I am sure that this is the way we came—after all, there was not much choice—but none of this seems familiar to me. Shouldn't we have been out by now? We couldn't possibly have gone this far in!" He paused to shift Cheetor in his arms. The young Maximal had not yet come to his senses, and was still occasionally murmuring "impossible" under his breath.

"I know," Optimus sighed. "If only our internal nav comps were working."

"Nothin' works in here," Rattrap said, remembering the puddle his scanner had made on the floor.

Optimus took a deep breath. "Don't give up. There has to be a way out somewhere. Let's keep going." 

They started walking again. Behind them, Rattrap paused for a moment. Had he just heard something? He peered into the darkness behind him, but could see nothing_. He turned back to follow the others—and walked into a wall right in front of him where just moments ago there had been an open corridor.___

"What the slag?!" he blurted. For a moment he thought that maybe he had gotten turned around, but the small light on his gun revealed that he was indeed in a dead end. The new wall was solid, made of the same energon-laced stone as the rest. He felt around it, looking for an opening or a way through, because this couldn't be; this wall couldn't have just _appeared _in front of him. But there was none, and he was all alone.

"Hey!" He pounded on the wall. "Hey, Optimus! 'Bolt! Can anyone hear me? Hello!"

"Hello," a deep voice said from behind him. "Well, well…just the Maximal I wanted to see."

Rattrap winced. He didn't have to turn around to know who was in the room with him. "Aw, slag," he muttered.

*

Silverbolt stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Optimus, wait! Where is Rattrap?"

"What?"

"He's gone! He was right behind—" Silverbolt suddenly gasped. "Optimus!" His normally calm voice was laced with fear.

Optimus turned to see Silverbolt sinking into the ground. The Fuzor was struggling to keep Cheetor from sinking as well.

"Optimus, take him! Quickly!" Silverbolt held Cheetor out as far as he could. Optimus leaned over and grabbed Cheetor, pulling him clear. Silverbolt then tried to pull himself loose, but he was trapped in the formerly solid floor and was sinking fast. He looked up at Optimus, his eyes wide as he sank in up to his waist.

"Silverbolt! Hang on!" Optimus reached out and took hold of Silverbolt's outstretched hand. He strained as Silverbolt tried to free himself.

"How can this be! This was solid stone a moment ago!" As in quicksand, the more Silverbolt fought, the faster he sank.

"Don't think about it! Just concentrate on getting out!" Optimus grunted. He was being steadily pulled towards the melted ground. "Cheetor! Wake up! We could use some help here!"

*

Rattrap groaned as he turned around. "You're the last guy I'd wanna meet up with in a place like this."

Rampage took a step forward, the eerie blue glow of the cavern making him appear even more frightening. "That's a pity," he said, "because I was hoping I would run into you."

"And why's that?" Rattrap's eyes darted around the cave, searching for a way out.

"We have a score to settle. You took her from me and ruined everything!"

Rattrap shook his head. "I dunno what you're talkin' 'bout, crab-legs." He groaned inwardly. Rampage was blocking the only exit.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already," Rampage scoffed. "You joined with her and corrupted her. Now she will never help me!"

"Oh…" Realization flashed in Rattrap's eyes, and he backed up a little. "Listen, ya got it backwards…"

Rampage advanced with a threatening growl. "She should have chosen me!"

"Yeah, well, I'd hate to think what woulda happened then," Rattrap muttered under his breath. "Look, she was a rookie an' couldn't even handle the job! It ain't my fault she picked me—I never even wanted her!"

Rattrap dodged to the side as Rampage roared and lunged at him. He looked towards the exit, which Rampage had left open. Now if only he could get to it.

"Ungrateful rodent," Rampage growled. "You deny me the chance to be healed, yet you don't even appreciate that she chose you!" He transformed to beast mode. "After you, she refused to help me. I'll never be whole now—and you're going to pay dearly for that."

Rattrap decided to make a break for the exit, but Rampage slammed down a gigantic claw in his path. The sheer force of it shook the ground, causing Rattrap to fall. The small Maximal inched backwards away from the claw and barely managed to leap away before the crab-bot's other claw struck the ground. Again the cavern trembled under the force—and kept shaking, accompanied by a loud rumbling.

Rampage roared and transformed, but he quickly lost his balance as the vibrations in the ground became undulations.

"Aw, great, ya just had to go an' wake it up, didn't ya," Rattrap groaned. He tried to make his way to the corridor, but the waving and rolling of the cavern threw him to the ground. Getting up again was next to impossible as the floor surged ever more violently. Rattrap crawled on his hands and knees towards the opening.

Suddenly a hand closed around his ankle. "We're not finished yet!" Rampage shouted over the increasingly loud rumbling.

"Are you crazy?!" Rattrap cried. "Look at this place! We gotta get outta here!" He tried to kick his foot loose.

Rampage held on and began to pull Rattrap back. He laughed maniacally. "Afraid, little mouse? Don't deny it; I can feel it! I feed on it, much as this place does. Why would I want to leave? I've never felt more at home!"

Rattrap twisted around, aiming his gun at Rampage's head. "So stay here, then! Me, I'm leavin'!" He fired point-blank.

Rampage moved at the last instant, but the shot struck his shoulder, causing him to release Rattrap.

"I may be scared, but at least I'm still sane, ya psycho! You stay here an' get slagged! Beast mode!" Rattrap transformed and scampered off over the rolling hills of the undulating ground. It was much easier to keep his balance in beast mode, and he reached the corridor in a few seconds, with Rampage's roar echoing in his ears above the near-deafening rumbling.

The instant he entered the corridor, the rumbling and shaking stopped. When Rattrap looked back, there was a wall behind him as if the previous chamber had never existed. Everything around him seemed perfectly ordinary, and he was surrounded by an eerie calm. _Scared? You betcha. _He maximized and set off to find the others.

*


	2. Chapter 2

Quickstrike reluctantly lead the way as the Predacons walked on in silence.

Tarantulas suddenly spoke up from behind Megatron. "Where is Rampage? I would have thought that all the Transmetals would have accompanied you."

Megatron only growled, but Quickstrike turned to answer him. "That crab-bot done disappeared right through the wall like it wasn't there!"

"Interesting," Tarantulas replied, appearing to have mostly returned to his normal state of mind. 

"You do not ask the questions here," Megatron stated flatly. "You've only been allowed to stay with us to provide information." 

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then survive on your own. Although something tells me that you prefer our company, especially knowing that Rampage is free. I know that you did not enjoy your first encounter with him, no," Megatron sneered. Tarantulas didn't answer, so Megatron continued. "Now, I will ask the questions from now on." 

"As you wish," Tarantulas replied disdainfully.

Megatron ignored the spider's tone. "What have you learned about this place in your time here?"

"That it is probably a vortex...a whirlpool of energy. And these caves are situated at its exact center. Normally it lies fairly dormant, its energy levels high, but static." Tarantulas chuckled. "But certain elements are combining to make it a superpower. Tonight, if my calculations are correct."

"The planetary alignment," Megatron finished.

"Exactly."

"Boss!" Quickstrike suddenly said. "Somethin's weird here!"

"What is it?" Megatron was annoyed at the interruption.

"Take a look that-a-way." Quickstrike gestured with his snake towards the other end of the corridor. "Does it look like it's gettin' smaller to you?"

Megatron looked and rolled his eyes. "It's simply perception, fool. This corridor is longer than the others."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Tarantulas said. 

"Continue on," Megatron ordered. "It is useless to go back the way we came. This is the only way through."

Tarantulas laughed outright, again sounding more insane than Megatron was used to.

Megatron pushed Quickstrike forward, and the Predacons continued down the corridor. Soon Megatron found the ceiling right over his head. It was not long before he was forced to stoop.

"What did I tell you?" Tarantulas chuckled.

Megatron growled. "Quickstrike, scout ahead and see if it opens up again."

"By myself?" Quickstrike asked shakily.

"Just go!"

Quickstrike gulped and bent down as he went farther into the dimming corridor. After being forced to crawl after only a couple of meters, he called back. "No more room, Boss! It closes up all the way, and pretty quick too!"

"We can't risk firing any weapons in here. I suppose we have no choice but to turn around." Megatron was not pleased.

"For all the good that'll do," Tarantulas muttered.

"Cease your useless ramblings if you have nothing worthwhile to contribute," Megatron growled. "We are wasting time."

They started back the other way, but it was not long before Quickstrike stopped dead. "Boss...it's happenin' again."

Megatron reached up and felt the ceiling just above his head. The corridor was closing in on them once more. "No! This is impossible!" He turned back to Tarantulas. _"What is going on here?"_

Tarantulas only giggled madly and took off running in the other direction, towards what should have been the tight dead end from which they had just come.

"Tarantulas!" Megatron bellowed. He ran after him. Not wanting to be left alone, Quickstrike followed. To their surprise, the corridor did not become smaller but instead opened into another of the grand caverns. They found Tarantulas standing in the middle of it.

"Did you think that what happened to Rampage was simply a random event?" Tarantulas cried. "Why do you think that I have not been able to find my way out for so long? Reality is not what it seems in this place!" 

Movement above them suddenly caught Megatron's eye, and he looked towards the ceiling of the cavern. He could not help but gasp at the sight. Tendrils of _something were writhing and coiling on themselves in an enormous mass. They began to reach down towards the unsuspecting Tarantulas. Megatron stood dumbfounded, staring at the tendrils. They looked like they were made of a combination of energy bonds and a grey material that matched the colour of the stone that made up the caves. _Flexible stone?__

"What in tarnation is _that?_" Quickstrike shouted, gesturing towards the things on the ceiling that were beginning to snake downwards at a fairly rapid pace.

Tarantulas looked up, but it was too late. The tendrils were upon him. One coiled around his neck and another around his arm, while still more reached for him. The spider-bot screamed and struggled as the others looked on, agape. "M-Megatron, do something! Help me!"

Megatron started towards him, and a closer look at the tendrils made him realize what it was that they resembled. "This is your webbing!"

More of the mutated webbing had wrapped itself around Tarantulas, and he tried furiously to rip it off. "No! It was a simple web trap left at the entrance of the cave! This can't be!" His feet left the ground as the tendrils began to pull him upwards towards the writhing mass on the ceiling.

"How many more traps have you set?" Megatron demanded, furious at the thought.

"Boss, don't ya think we oughta do somethin'?" Quickstrike cried. 

Eyes narrowed, Megatron powered up his jets so that he could reach Tarantulas, who was now halfway to the high ceiling. But he had barely made it two meters into the air when he felt a sudden pain and the jets stopped.  "What?!" Megatron cried out as he fell back to the ground. He twisted his head around to see what had happened, and saw with horror that his jets had been half melted and re-formed. Their original round shape was almost indiscernible through the mass of twisted metal "icicles".

Tarantulas called out once more, and Megatron looked up to see him now almost completely enveloped in the webbing. The spider-bot was laughing insanely and had all but given up any attempt to free himself. Megatron stood, but could do nothing more than watch as Tarantulas disappeared into the living tendrils on the ceiling. Once he had been consumed, the tendrils began to solidify. After mere moments it was as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever transpired there.

"L-let's get outta here. C'mon, Boss, how 'bout we just get outta here?" Quickstrike's eyes were as wide as he could make them, and his voice shook.

Megatron pulled his gaze away from the ceiling. He looked back towards the entrance that they had used, but it was no longer there. There was now only one exit from this cavern, and it was on the other side. Megatron started towards it, and Quickstrike stayed right on his heels. They couldn't help but quicken their pace as they passed under the middle of the ceiling.

*

"Cheetor! Snap out of it!"

As if waking from a dream, Cheetor's eyes suddenly flickered. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked around. In front of him, Optimus was struggling with something on the ground. Cheetor shakily stood to get a better look at what was going on. His jaw dropped at the sight before him.

"It's going to pull you in as well!" Silverbolt cried, now sunken into the floor almost up to his neck.

"Just hold tight to me! Don't let go!" Optimus was pulling with all his might, to no avail. He looked back towards Cheetor. "Cheetor, help us!" 

"What's happening?" Cheetor blurted.

"Slaggit, Cheetor, just help!" Optimus shouted as he suddenly slipped closer to the melted ground. He was now right on the edge.

Cheetor lunged forward and grabbed Optimus with his good arm, trying to keep him from sliding further. But even his extra strength was not enough, as all three Maximals were pulled closer to the half-liquid floor.

One of Silverbolt's hands slipped from Optimus' grasp. "Optimus, don't let it take you and Cheetor! Just let go!" 

"No!" Optimus grunted, straining to hang on to the Fuzor's other hand. "Hang on! We'll get you out of there!" 

Silverbolt looked up at him once more, and the fear in his eyes was painful to see. Little by little, his fingers slid out of Optimus' hand. Optimus tried to tighten his hold, but it was no use.

Silverbolt's hand pulled away as his head disappeared beneath the surface.

Optimus and Cheetor fell backwards. "NO!" Optimus cried. "Silverbolt!" He righted himself as quickly as he could and scrambled back towards the spot where Silverbolt had sunk. When he touched the floor, it was solid once more.

"Silverbolt!" Cheetor cried. He knelt beside Optimus on the floor and began scraping and pounding at the stone. "No! Give him back! _Silverbolt_!"

Optimus grabbed Cheetor's hands to stop him. The young bot was only making his injured arm worse. "Cheetor! Cheetor, stop!"

"We have to save him! Silverbolt!" Cheetor was screaming now.

Optimus held Cheetor tightly, trying to calm him. "Cheetor, listen to me! We can't panic; not now! We'll find him! We got you out of the mirror, so hopefully…"

"Where did he go? Why is all this happening?" Cheetor's voice had softened to a whimper.

"I don't know," Optimus said. "But we're going to find the others and get out of here."

It was then that Cheetor noticed for the first time that he and Optimus were alone. "Where's Rattrap?" His voice rose in panic once more. 

Optimus sighed. "He was following us, and then he was just…gone. But we'll find him too. Just stay calm, all right, Cheetor? Can you do that?"

Cheetor slowly nodded, but his eyes looked far away. 

Optimus tried to swallow the fear that he felt rising within him. "We'll get out of here."

*

Dinobot paced back and forth inside the ever-widening barren circle. He was nearly fenced in now; the fallen trees were beginning to build a wall around the caves. The air around him was charged with energy, and even in beast mode Dinobot could feel the occasional twinge in his internal circuitry. How could the others be still alive inside the caves if there was this much energy outside?

A flash in his peripheral vision caught his attention, and he turned his head to see a ball of light whizzing through the air. It darted back and forth a few times before shooting upwards beyond the caves. Bemused, Dinobot followed it visually until it had completely disappeared from sight. In only a few moments, a new ball had begun to form around the boundary of the cave mouth.

Dinobot warily retreated a few steps. This orb was bigger than the last. It traveled around the cave opening, then suddenly shot towards him. Dinobot threw himself to the ground to avoid being struck, and the sphere hurtled over him before suddenly changing direction in midair to slam into the cave wall. 

Dinobot quickly got to his feet and cautiously went over to inspect the spot where the sphere had disappeared. The wall had been scorched. Obviously these things were not just light. 

Dinobot gasped as another ball flew past him. There were several of them now, zigzagging around the area. Dinobot watched them with a growing feeling of unease. Again one of the spheres changed direction and floated towards him at a fairly high speed. He ducked, letting it glide over him, but it abruptly shifted, turning on him once more. It was then that he noticed the other balls beginning to do the same.

Dinobot ran. The orbs followed, nearly keeping pace with him. Dinobot tapped his comlink. "This is Dinobot. I am under attack!" Static was the only response, and Dinobot cursed himself for forgetting that his comlink was useless within the barren circle.

Thinking quickly, Dinobot turned and raced towards the forest. He glanced over his shoulder at the approaching spheres, and then back at the wall of fallen tree trunks in front of him. At the last moment, he maximized and vaulted over them. Two spheres impacted a dead tree, burning through it almost instantaneously. Already feeling the effects of the energy fields, Dinobot reverted to beast mode and kept running. There was a sudden loud bang behind him, followed by several more. When he looked back, there was only one orb left, which exploded in front of his eyes. 

Silence fell over the area once more. Dinobot stood in the forest, panting and more than a little unnerved. He opened his comlink.

*

Rhinox entered another string of equations into the computer. "Run simulation," he said, his voice sounding tired.

Polaris watched over his shoulder. She had not been able to offer any more help than the initial information, but she had not yet left his side. 

"Are you sure you can't find out anything else?" Rhinox asked again. He had been running his calculations over and over for more than a megacycle now, but the simulations had not yet been able to arrive at any conclusion on the overall effects of the different energies.

_"No. I have already told you all we know. This combination of events has never occurred before." _She paused, and her tone changed to one that seemed almost disappointed._ "All life on this world avoids the Vortex. We had thought that this natural aversion would have been present in Strangers as well."_

"Not likely." Rhinox startled slightly as the comlink suddenly came to life. He pressed the button to respond. "Dinobot? What's your status?"

"I…encount—…—strange…" The static was even worse than before, and Rhinox could barely understand him.

"Dinobot, you're going to have to move farther away from the cave. You're breaking up." Rhinox waited a few moments, and the transmission began to clear a little. "That's better. Now what have you encountered?"

"Strange energy spheres. They formed around the cave, and seemed to have almost a life of their own. They attacked me and forced me back into the forest before self-destructing." There was a small growl. "More continue to form at the caves at this moment."

"Energy spheres?" Rhinox pondered that for a moment. "It sounds like a phenomenon called 'ball lightning' that can form under high-energy conditions."

"Lightning? They changed direction to pursue!"

Rhinox couldn't help but chuckle. "They'd be attracted to your electrical systems, Dinobot. I suppose the beast mode doesn't hide them completely." Rhinox switched the viewscreen to one of the roof-mounted cameras and pointed it in the direction of the caves. He could see strange flashes of light in the sky far off on the horizon. "I think I see some of it from here. Interesting."

Dinobot growled. "You would not be so dismissive if you had experienced it yourself. This place is—" He was suddenly cut off by a loud crackle of static.

"Dinobot?" Rhinox tried to bring back the transmission, but couldn't. "Slag, it's just getting worse out there. I should really go there myself."

_"No. Stay here," _Polaris said, her tone imploring. _"You will be safe here."_

The computer suddenly beeped, and Rhinox turned to it. He looked at it for a moment, and his eyes widened. "Oh, no."

_"What have you found?"_

Rhinox looked over the results of the simulation. "This is bad. The computer has finally managed to reach a conclusion that incorporates all the kinds of energy, and if this is actually true…" He trailed off for a moment as he reset the simulation. "They're in trouble."

*

Rattrap carefully peered down the next corridor. Every moment he was afraid that Rampage would suddenly appear in front of him. He had gotten lucky the last time, but he knew that it wouldn't last forever. Somewhere along the line, he was either going to run into Rampage or this place was going to wake up again and do something worse than just shake the floors. 

He shuddered as he thought about what had happened to Cheetor in the mirror. Were his friends experiencing anything else like that? He wanted to call out, to find out if he was anywhere near them, but he couldn't take the chance of Rampage finding him. Nope, he was all alone on this one. He stepped around the corner.

_Not that way, _something inside him said. _It's dark._

Rattrap stopped. There it was again, that inner voice that reminded him of his recent possession. He had heard its warning right before entering the caves. "I'll go where I want," he muttered, resenting its presence. But he didn't enter the corridor. Something in him knew that the voice was right. That way would be dangerous.

So, what, then? Turn back the way he had come? That way led nowhere… "Except the walls move around," he couldn't help remarking aloud. He shrugged and turned back. 

As he walked, Rattrap made sure to note his surroundings. Everything was still the same as when he had passed it moments ago. But up ahead, something shimmered for an instant. Rattrap blinked, but the shimmering had stopped. When he reached the spot, he saw that there was now an open cavern in front of him. Peering inside, he listened carefully to his instincts and to the inner voice. There was nothing, so Rattrap proceeded slowly.

Even though the voice had had a calming effect, the fear would not abate. Perhaps the voice might help him find his way, but Rattrap wasn't sure if it would be of any use in avoiding Rampage. And there was something else. The cavern wasn't just reacting to the different kinds of energy within its walls…there was more to it than that; he could feel it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was growing stronger. It was almost as if there was _something else in there with them._

_For one night…for one night they can enter this world…_

Clear as anything, he suddenly _knew _this. Shaken, Rattrap began to walk faster.

*

Rampage lurked.

"Come out and play, mouse," he said, his voice low as he looked around a sharp corner. To his surprise, there was a wall there. A small sigh of annoyance escaped him, but was quickly replaced by a chuckle. Rampage liked this place. True, it had taken the rat from him at the last moment, but Rampage was sure that he would get another chance to exact his revenge. In the meantime, he was enjoying his freedom and the simple feel of the place.

At first he had caught only a small sense of it—what was happening in these caves was mostly due to nature at its most powerful and terrifying. But when Megatron had squeezed the Spark Box, there had been an exchange of energy between his Spark and the walls. And in an instant Rampage had understood. He had realized just how powerful this place was…and also that there was much more to it than the others had ever suspected.

There was something about this particular night, and it was not just the planetary alignment. Rampage had begun to sense this on his own, but the exchange had made it even more clear.

"I know you're here," he said aloud to the walls. "I can feel you gathering."

Almost in response, the walls around him began to shimmer and pulse.

Rampage laughed maniacally. "Yes, this is _your _night! The darkness of this place is yours!"

Shapes began to appear in the walls, forming and then disappearing just as quickly. Indistinct faces screamed silently, and the cave itself appeared to hum.

"Yes!" Rampage reached out to the wall, feeling the darkness within it and himself. He had never felt more connected to anything. But as he touched it, something suddenly lashed out at him. He was thrown backwards.

_Unnatural! Leave! _The thoughts filled his head, more a sense than actual words, repeating themselves over and over. Rampage gasped. _They_ had planted those thoughts in his mind. When he looked again at the shapes in the wall, they did not seem as welcoming as he had hoped.

"I will not leave!" Rampage barked at them. He stalked away from the crawling wall, angered that he had not been accepted here. Then inside he began to laugh. He understood the power of this place and what was fueling the brewing darkness. The others would not. If this place had rejected him, it would certainly reject them. He wanted the rat himself, but as for the others, all he had to do was sit back and wait…if the caves would let him. For he knew that they were no one's ally.

*

The simulation ended, once more showing the same results. Rhinox shook his head slowly. "If these simulations are correct, then the energy in there is able to distort the properties of matter…and any matter within its vicinity will be subject to this. It's only going to get stronger as we approach perfect alignment. But once the peak of it passes, the energy will decrease quickly and substantially. Any matter that's been changed may not be able to revert back to its original form."

Polaris only stared silently.

"It means that if they don't get out at the peak or very soon after, they might be trapped in there."

_"What can be done?" _Polaris sounded concerned, if only because she seemed to be mimicking Rhinox's worried tone.

"I'm not sure. If they're even still functioning, I have to try to get a message to them. They need to know that there's a deadline."

_"__Midnight__," Polaris said._

"What?"

_"You speak of the movement of the planets as being the control on this situation. It is only one part. I have told you about this night and its power, yet you appear to be ignoring it."_

"But even if it is possible, how would that affect the energy fields?"

_"The dead can have influence over certain energies."_

"'Influence' as in 'control'?"

_"Anything may be possible in the Vortex."_

Rhinox sighed. "Well, I really don't know how to fit that into my calculations. All I know is that we have to find a way to get through to them and warn them about all of this. But the comlinks aren't going to work through the energy fields. There has to be another way…" He trailed off, already lost in thought. "Gotta be something low-tech enough to get around the energy fields," he murmured aloud. For a long moment Rhinox was silent, then his eyes suddenly brightened. "That's it! Polaris, can you help me? I need you to deliver a message to Dinobot…"

*

Optimus tread carefully through the corridor, with Cheetor close behind. The younger Maximal had refused to let Optimus get more than an arm's length ahead of him. Optimus knew that Cheetor was not faring well. The initial shock of what had happened to him in the mirror had abated somewhat, but losing Silverbolt and Rattrap had been too much. Now he practically clung to Optimus; tense, fearful and shaking.

"This isn't real; it can't be real." Cheetor was mumbling to himself again. "It's just a nightmare. I just have to wake up."

Optimus heard the whisperings. "How are you doing?" he asked, hoping to take Cheetor's mind off his fear for a moment.

"Okay." The answer was quiet and sullen. 

"How's your arm?"

Cheetor strained, but the arm barely moved. A spark flew from his shoulder. "Not so good." 

Optimus sighed. "I'd fix it, but we can't take the chance of using a welding torch in here. We don't know how this place will react to any energy output."

There was only silence in response.

"We'll find them, Cheetor," Optimus tried to reassure him.

"Sure," Cheetor replied, barely audible and without conviction.

Optimus suddenly stopped in his tracks as they reached a blind corner. "I hear something," he whispered. Keeping Cheetor behind him with one hand, he drew a mace with the other.

Someone stepped around the corner, and Optimus gasped. "Megatron?"

"Primal," Megatron growled. "I knew you had to be in here somewhere." He made no move to draw a weapon.

Optimus noticed that Quickstrike was right by Megatron's side, staying as close to his leader as Cheetor had been to his own. Optimus lowered his mace slightly.

Megatron peered around him at Cheetor. "This can't be all the troops you brought with you," he remarked, noticing Cheetor's damage.

"I could say the same about you, Megatron."

"Then I assume you have seen what this place is capable of?"

Optimus sighed and glanced at Cheetor before turning back to Megatron. "Unfortunately. And Iassume that _you're also trapped and lost?"_

Megatron's eyes narrowed. "We have both underestimated the power of this place."

"This is your fault!" Cheetor suddenly blurted. "If you hadn't _had to come in here—"_

"And you had to follow?" Megatron sneered.

"You know we couldn't just let you have all this power, Megatron," Optimus stated flatly. "Now it's your move. I'm sure you know, as I do, that firing a weapon in here could be very dangerous."

"Indeed." Megatron paused. "A truce."

"I know your kind of truce, Megatron." Optimus narrowed his eyes.

"Be that as it may, I believe that there is safety in numbers. Or haven't you noticed that we are being separated, one by one?"

"So you figure that sticking with us will give _you_ a better chance at survival."

Megatron smiled slyly. "Astute as always, Primal." 

Optimus raised an eyebrow. "So you're just going to abandon your search for the power source?"

"I have realized that this power cannot be possessed. Its source cannot even be located. Neither of us will control it. I'm sure that you share in my desire to simply leave."

Optimus shook his head. "No. Our friends are in here somewhere, and we're going to find them."

"Are you a fool?" Megatron thundered. "If this place has swallowed them, then they are not coming back! I say we should cut our losses and leave while we still can!"

Optimus faced off against him. "You would. But I'm telling you now; we are _not leaving until we find our friends. You can go if you want—on your own."_

The two leaders glowered at each other for a long moment before Megatron backed off. "This is a fool's chase, Primal. Do you have any idea what we are up against?"

Optimus sighed slightly. "Some. Somehow this place is able to change the properties of matter and energy—to distort reality."

Megatron nodded. "Yes. Tarantulas called it a 'vortex'—a whirlpool of force."

Optimus considered this. "That would make sense. I'm guessing that any energy we produce would just be added to the mix. I know it's dangerous to touch any part of this place, but I didn't want to take the chance of using my jets."

Megatron growled. "I would not recommend it." He turned, showing Optimus the state of his own jets.

Optimus and Cheetor couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

Megatron faced them once more. "There seems to be nothing we can do against the power of this place." He stared into Optimus' eyes, his expression hard. "Forget your friends. We should focus on finding a way out."

Optimus returned his gaze, grim determination in his eyes. "You're free to leave whenever you want, Megatron. But right now, we're going to find our friends. Follow us if you like." He gestured to Cheetor. "Let's go."

"We have just come from that way, Primal. You are wasting your time."

"This place changes around all the time, Megatron. You must know that." Optimus started walking, and Cheetor followed.

Megatron and Quickstrike grudgingly did the same, staying close.

*

Dinobot held his position in the forest, watching the caves from afar. The orbs had abated somewhat, but there were still a few moving about the area. None had come after him since he had lost contact with Rhinox.

Until now.

A brilliant white orb descended from the sky towards him, its movement slower and smoother than the others' had been. Dinobot narrowed his eyes and ducked down a little farther behind a fallen tree, preparing to run again if necessary.

_"Dinobot," _a voice said haltingly. _"Do not run."_

Dinobot growled slightly, unnerved by the voice in his head. He watched the orb as it took form and finally stood up straight again, staring into the face of Polaris. "You."

_"I bring a message from friend Rhinox. The others are in danger inside the Vortex. You must make them understand."_

"The comms do not function."

_"A code," _Polaris said, her voice as emotionless as ever as she relayed a message of which it was obvious she understood nothing. _"Use the echoes. Tap the code on the walls. They must leave within one…one…"_—she searched for the word—_"Megacycle. They must disrupt energy flow to escape. Do you understand?"_

"Code? Which code?" Dinobot demanded. 

_"Tap the code,"_ Polaris said again. _"Do you understand?"_

Dinobot's eyes suddenly went wide with recognition. "Understood."

Polaris' form suddenly shimmered. _"I cannot stay here. The energy is too strong. Good luck, warrior." _And then she was a glowing orb once more, returning to the sky.

Dinobot made his way back to the cave, determinedly ignoring the feeling of chip flashes as he picked up a large rock. 

*

Silverbolt awoke with a start. For a moment he could remember neither where he was nor how he had gotten there. And then it all came flooding back. He had been separated from his friends, pulled through the floor…but to where?

He groaned and tried to open his eyes. Panic crept in. He couldn't see. It was as if he was not quite sure where his eyes were any more.

He was not in pain, but Silverbolt knew that there was something terribly wrong. He turned his focus to staying calm, but the fear only multiplied when he realized that he could barely move. Fingers flexed, feathers moved, and elsewhere, a foot kicked. But that was all.

"What's happened to me?" He spoke aloud, mostly to make certain that he could still do so. Confusion and panic swept over him. For he could still feel; still sense every part of himself. Every circuit, every gear was still connected and still functioning. And then Silverbolt realized what was wrong.

He was no longer whole.

Silverbolt's howl echoed through every wall of the caverns.

*

Tarantulas stared in mute horror at the opposite wall, his mind barely able to process what he was seeing.

Parts of the Maximal Silverbolt were visible, protruding from the wall. A hand here, a wing there, a foot over there…Only half of the face was free, but the one eye Tarantulas could see was fused shut, partially covered with stone.

These were the only parts of the Maximal that were intact. The rest had been twisted, warped and half-trapped in the rock. Veins of active circuitry coiled in and out of the wall. 

Through this sight, Tarantulas realized the horror of their situation. Had his own mouth not been inside the stone, his scream would have been as long and loud as that of the Maximal.

*

The Maximals and Predacons walked on, through corridor after corridor. They stayed as close to each other as possible, all trying to fight off the fear of what could be lying around every corner. Optimus led, and Megatron had not contested that. None of them really wanted to go first.

Optimus slowed suddenly as the cave began to widen into another chamber. Cheetor slowed as well, causing Quickstrike to bump into him from behind. Already on edge, Cheetor let out a startled cry and whirled around. When he saw that it had been Quickstrike, his expression changed from fear to anger. "Don't touch me," he hissed.

"I don't take no orders from you, tinhorn," Quickstrike spat.

"Stop!" Optimus ordered.

"But Optimus, he—"

"No…_stop." Optimus' voice sounded strange. "Don't come any closer." _

Cheetor noticed for the first time that Optimus was a few meters inside the chamber. He stood motionless, facing the others who were still in the corridor. 

"Why?" Cheetor asked shakily, feeling his fear return.

"Something—…I can't move." As he said that, some invisible force pulled his arms up until they were pointing towards the upper corners of the chamber. He began to slowly rise off the ground.

"What is happening?" Megatron demanded, pushing his way past Quickstrike.

"I think…magnetic force…pulling me on all sides…" Optimus strained to speak.

"I'll get you!" Cheetor cried.

"No! Stay…out!" A piece of Optimus' superstructure suddenly tore off of him and flew towards the wall with such force that it embedded itself near the ceiling. Optimus gave a grunt of pain as more parts of him began to strain.

"Optimus!" Cheetor practically screamed the name as another piece went flying from Optimus' chest. "What can I do?" He reached towards Optimus, but was much too far away. Still, a force pulled at his arm and he jerked it back in surprise.

"Just…stay back…" Optimus' feet left the ground completely as he was pulled upwards. In a few moments he was hovering in the exact center of the chamber.

Frustrated at his helplessness, Cheetor turned to the Predacons. "Do something!"

Megatron tore his gaze away from Optimus and narrowed his eyes. "Why should I?"

 "You're supposed to be helping us!" 

Megatron chuckled. "I don't believe that word was ever part of the agreement."

Optimus let out a cry of pain as a large part of the metal plating on his thigh was ripped off.

"No! Optimus!" Cheetor struck out at Megatron. "How can you just stand there and watch this, you—"

Megatron suddenly seized Cheetor by the throat and threw him against the wall of the corridor. Cheetor slumped to the ground, stunned.

"Panic is useless," Megatron growled as he turned his attention back to Optimus' plight. He paused for a moment, thinking, and then took his tail weapon from his arm and hurled it towards Optimus with all his might. 

The weapon slowed in the air before reaching him, but still struck Optimus hard enough to knock him backwards. He landed heavily on the floor while the weapon remained suspended in his place.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Optimus stirred and slowly sat up, wincing at every motion. "Thanks."

Megatron ignored the gratitude. "Is there another way out of that chamber? The wall has sealed itself behind us."

Optimus looked around, moving slowly. It was obvious that the magnetism was still an issue. "Yes, this way." He looked up at the weapon that was still hanging in midair. "But what about—"

At that moment the weapon exploded into tiny fragments. Optimus ducked as the pieces went hurtling towards the walls and ceiling. When he raised his head again he found that he could do so easily. "Well, that answers that question," he said. "Come on, it's safe now."

Cheetor scrambled to his feet, giving Megatron a wide berth as he ran over to Optimus. "Big-Bot, are you okay?"

Optimus groaned slightly as he stood. "I'll be all right."

Megatron looked impatient as he strode across the now harmless chamber, Quickstrike at his heels. "If you're able to walk, then do so. We should—"

All four of them froze as a terrible howl echoed through the cavern. It reverberated in the walls as if the cave itself was producing the sound.

"Silverbolt!" Cheetor cried as the sound finally began to die down. "Optimus, that's Silverbolt!"

"Silverbolt!" Optimus called. "Where are you?"

There was no answer save for the dying echo.

"That there sounded like it came right from the walls!" Quickstrike exclaimed. 

"Optimus, he's still alive! We have to find him! He sounded like…like…" Cheetor trailed off. He had never heard such horror in a scream before.

"We'll find him, Cheetor," Optimus replied with steely determination. He began leading out the chamber's only exit, and the others followed. 

*


End file.
